Attain Eternal Bliss Through Yoga

Happiness is one thing which is equally sought by all and sundry. All beings constantly endeavour to seek more happiness through new means of comfort. All the activities of the human kind have one objective…to find happiness. But his efforts are misdirected and the man gets happiness which is transitory. It does not last. Happiness which lasts is known as ‘ananda’ or bliss or divinity. It is eternal happiness.

Many of us search for happiness in the outer world where it does not exist. True happiness lies in our consciousness, in our mind. Science and technology presents us with various means of comfort for deriving happiness but true happiness really lies in the mind. A child derives immense pleasure from his toys. As he grows older, he loses interest in them and seeks new means of pleasure. His happiness now lies elsewhere. It is not the objects but the state of mind that relates to true happiness.

The Bible says, “The Kingdom of heaven is within you”. The Gita says,”Happiness is within”. But we search for happiness not within ourselves but outside. We get lost in the details and forget the essence that lies in us. An Indian maxim goes like this: “However hard you search in the mouth of a crow, you will not find any teeth there”. The following fable will drive home the point:

Once upon a time, all human beings were divine, but they abused their divinity badly and God decided to strip them of it and hide it where it would be impossible to find. Now, where would be a suitable hiding place? God’s advisors had suggestions. “Let us bury the divinity of human beings in the ground”. But God knew they would dig it out. “In that case, let us throw it into the deepest depths of the entire ocean.” But God responded, “No, for sooner or later they will explore the depths of all the oceans and I am sure that one day they will find it and bring it to the surface.” The advisors were stumped for an option. Eventually, God said, “I know what we shall do with the divinity of human beings. We shall hide it in the deepest depths of themselves, for this is the only place where they will never think to look.”

And sure enough, we humans have circumnavigated the earth, explored and climbed, dived and dug; searching in vain for something only to be found within ourselves. Isn’t it true! We look for happiness, divinity, eternal bliss, or whatever name you call it by, where it does not exist. We search for happiness not within ourselves but outside.

Yoga gives us the tools to explore our inner selves, our conciousness, our mind. It bridges the gulf between the outer world of day-to-day life and the inner world of the soul. This is the path of balance and integration, a path so broad and all-embracing that each of us can follow it at our own pace no matter our capacity or background. Yoga is the ancient art of holistic living. Its foundation consists of practising 10 simple principles – non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, moderation in sense activity, non-possessive, cleanliness, contenment, self-discipline, studying the scriptures and faith in a higher truth. In addition, yoga offers practices for making the body strong and healthy, the breath deep and even, and the mind clear and one-pointed. It is vey methodical and designed to lead step-by-step toward everlasting contentment.

Yogasanas (yoga postures), the most popular part of yoga, are certain specific body positions, which open the energy channels and psychic centres. The yogis found that developing control of the body through these practices enabled them to control the mind and energy. Yogasanas became tools to higher awareness, providing the stable foundation necessary for the exploration of the body, breath, mind and higher states.

The mind and body are not separate entities although there is a tendency to think and act as though they are. The gross form of the mind is the body and the subtle form of the body is the mind. The practice of yogasana integrates and harmonises the two. Both the body and the mind harbour tensions or knots. Every mental knot has a corresponding physical, muscular knot and vice versa. The aim of asana is to release these knots. Asanas release mental tensions by dealing with them on the physical level, acting somato-psychically, through the body to the mind. The result is the release of dormant energy; the body becomes full of vitality and strength, the mind becomes light, creative, joyful and balanced leading to eternal bliss.